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No one hunts a whale alone. The Whale Hunters have consistently urged our clients to train subject matter experts to participate in the sales process. We learn from them every day what a significant difference this habit makes not only in landing big deals but in serving the customer after the deal is done.

Recently, however, I have talked to several people who were struggling to think of who should be on their sales team. In some cases they do not have enough people to populate a team efficiently. They are outsourcing key services and/or relying on independent contractors and joint ventures. Or they have had to reduce their staff and key members are already doing double duty. Or they simply have not found the combination of people who will win the big deals for them. They have trained inside people and they are sending a team out to make a sale, yet they are still coming in second or third and are not satisfied with their sales approach.

If this is happening to you, first analyze the problem:

Reassess what big companies fear about doing business with you

Big companies are more fearful today than ever. If you're coming in second, chances are you have a very desirable product/service mix but they are too afraid to buy it from you. Those fears have to do with intangibles unrelated to your product or service. To name a few: fear that you are too small, fear that you do not have a recognized brand, fear that you cannot ramp up, fear that you do not have enough staying power, fear that you do not understand how to do business with a large complex company.

Reassess your “fear busters"

These are the specific, tangible cases, white papers, research reports, charts, graphs, testimonials, processes and the like that are designed to mitigate the fears. Be certain that all of your messages to your prospect communicate the highest possible level of safety and security. That is, everything from your website to your brochures to your proposal to your proposal team needs to be first rate, solid and savvy about big customers.

Reassess what roles, relationships or messages might be missing on your team

What fears remain in the minds of the buyers when you have presented all of your solution and all of your credentials? What's left that's just not enough? Keep in mind that big company buyers fear change, conflict, work and mistakes. Analyze what might be the most likely way in which you are coming up short and address that shortcoming.

My clients confront fears like these--fears that are extremely difficult to allay.

“You have never had a customer as big as us before.”

“Our decision-makers (or CEO, or Board of Directors) have never heard of you.”

“We never want to represent more than 35% of a supplier's business.”

“You have no experience in our industry.”

How can you put together a team to alleviate these and other fears that are both real and damaging to your possibilities? This is where external team members come into play. These are people who are on your side but are not your employees. Here are five new roles for people in your network:

Your banker

If you are not fortunate to have a high quality banking relationship with a banker or banking team devoted to your business success, you need to start today to find that banker and build than relationship. Your banker can tell the prospect that when the deal is done, the banker is prepared to extend you a line of credit sufficient to finance the ramp up period and to manage cash flow while they get you integrated into accounts payable. Big companies are notorious for being slow to pay.

Your accountant

A high quality, sophisticated accounting firm can assure the prospect that you can comply with all of its requirements for invoicing and documenting expenses. If your prospect is a government entity, this becomes extremely important. Many companies have onerous methods of payment for goods, services, and expenses and require levels and methods of documentation that you have never dreamed of. Get your accountant in front of this buyer.

Your staffing firm

If you will need to add staff in order to complete this deal, the prospect will worry about how and where you will locate and train the high quality new people that will be required. It's extremely beneficial to build a relationship with a staffing firm that you can count on to help you ramp up fast for big contracts. Your staffing rep can assure the prospect that you have the capacity to locate, recruit and train the people who will be needed to fulfill this contract.

Your outsource partner(s)

In any line of work you may rely on various outsource partners who are key to your delivery. Perhaps you outsource credit card processing, call center staff for your help desk, marketing, advertising, PR services or supply chain management. If your solution relies on one or more outsource partners, bring them to the table in your discussions with the prospect.

Your customers

A satisfied customer can be the tipping point in your presentation to a prospect. If you have an articulate customer in a similar industry, a customer for whom you successfully completed a job much bigger than your typical job, a customer that was facing similar problems or opportunities as this prospect, give them a small role in your presentation and allow the buyers to ask questions about your delivery.

There you have it. Five new resources to your sales team without costing a dime.

About Dr. Barbara Weaver Smith

Dr. Barbara Weaver Smith, founder and president of The Whale Hunters®, has an exceptional leadership background that began in higher education and successfully transitioned to entrepreneurship. With partner Larry Smith, she built the consulting firm Smith Weaver Smith, Inc., now celebrating 15 years… more